The present invention is directed to the art of audio communication and, more particularly, a microphone system wherein air resistance is employed to control the rate in which a microphone cable is both deployed from and retracted into a housing.
Microphone systems are often employed in order to effectively communicate an audio broadcast in various situations, such as when speeches are delivered to large groups. Although there is a trend toward wireless microphone systems, wireless communications are subjected to potential interference such that there is still a desire to employ wired microphone systems in a wide range of circumstances. However, wired microphone systems also have their associated drawbacks. For instance, during the use of a wired microphone, slack in the wire can become caught on adjacent structure or entangled upon itself.
To address this and other concerns, it has been proposed to wind a microphone cable within a housing such that the cable can be selectively deployed and retracted as needed. For instance, it is known to wind a microphone cable upon a reel within a housing and spring-load the reel. With this arrangement, the cable can be selectively deployed against the force of the spring and, when it is desired to retract the cable, the spring force aids in winding the cable back in the housing.
In some situations, it is only necessary to deploy a microphone cable for a rather limited degree. For example, if a speaker employs a microphone and does not walk around when talking, the microphone can be mounted to a holder or stand, while employing a fixed length of cable. In other situations, a relatively small amount of cable may be needed. In these cases, providing the cable within a housing is not necessary and having a system to wind the cable is simply not required. However, even when a relatively limited length of cable is to be deployed, benefits can be obtained by controlling cable deployment.